Woman unknowingly adopts childhood dog

Eight years after saying goodbye, a woman and her childhood dog have been reunited.

For her 10th birthday, Nicole Renae's grandmother surprised her with a grey puppy, which she named Chloe.

They spent the next four years growing to be the best of friends.

"I just loved her to death," Ms Renae told The Dodo. "She was such a sweet dog.

"She'd lick your face forever, if you didn't stop her."

But when Ms Renae was 14, her father began working from home and needed the house to be free of distractions.

"He was told we couldn't have any pets," Ms Renae said. "Chloe was very yappy.

"We had no choice. I was just a kid, so I obviously didn't have any choice in the matter.

"It was heartbreaking. I didn't want to get rid of my dog."

Ms Renae and her family took Chloe to their local humane society. They hoped she would be adopted into a loving home, but still had a tough time saying goodbye.

"I just felt so sick and sad about it," Ms Renae told The Dodo.

"I thought I'd never see or hear from her ever again."

As she grew older, Ms Renae never stopped wondering what happened to Chloe.

She even once called the humane society to find out where Chloe went, but they couldn't tell her.

Years went by and Ms Renae had a child of her own. She decided she wanted to adopt a dog to give her child the same joy Chloe gave her.

She intended to adopt a puppy, but came across a Facebook post about a senior dog that needed a new home.

Looking at the pictures, Ms Renae noticed how similar the dog looked to her childhood best friend. Then she read the dog's name - Chloe.

Thinking it was just a wonderful coincidence, Ms Renae decided to adopt the dog.

When she went to pick her up, she realised this was no ordinary pup.

"She just ran up to me and started licking my face," she told The Dodo.

"She just kept hugging me. I was crying - it reminded me so much of my Chloe.

"I never thought I'd see my dog again, but I just knew in my heart that it was her."

While Ms Renae's family didn't initially believe her, microchip testing confirmed the dog was the same Chloe.

"I literally felt like I'd won the lottery. It was just the best feeling.

"I thought I'd never see her again."

Ms Renae told The Dodo that Chloe had first been adopted by an elderly couple, who passed away a few years later. She was then taken in by a family who couldn't keep her and that's when they posted to Facebook.

Chloe is now 11 years old.

"I'm so happy to have her back. I get so excited to come home from work to see her each day.

"Chloe is happy. I think she knows now that she'll be with me forever."